


The Marra in Me

by BunnySiege



Category: Hilda (Cartoon)
Genre: Betrayal, Confrontations, Friendship, Identity Issues, Internal Conflict, Loss of Control, Loss of Identity, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Night Terrors, Nightmares, POV First Person, Phobias, Scary, Secrets, Snakes, Transformation, Wishes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23428153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnySiege/pseuds/BunnySiege
Summary: Frida continues to move on from her friendship with Kelly, and living with the consequences of attending the Marra campfires. Hanging out with them had a more lasting impact on her than she would like to admit. With the help of her friends, she has to fight the urge to become a Marra herself, and find a way to resist her unwelcome, compulsive instincts to terrorize others. The hunt for a cure will bring Frida uncomfortably close to understanding the mind of the supernatural menace she is trying to avoid becoming, and may ruin her relationship with her friends in the process.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. Preamble

People kept asking me what I had been thinking, starting to fall in with the Marra. It was a long story, about me just feeling useless and wanting to feel better about myself. I could probably tell Hilda and Davida all about how I felt bad, and it was nice to have friends again. None of that mattered though, it was over now. What did matter now was how I felt now that I had moved on with my life. At least, mostly moved on.

Learning to clean my room wasn't so hard, I just took a long time to do it. Even once I had the book back from Hilda to get my ghost to return, I had already built up the habit of cleaning up after myself. That wasn't an issue at all with how I felt. The return to a sense of normalcy with David and Hilda was making slow progress, even if the cracks in our friendships felt slow to heal. I blamed my own pride for that, but Hilda seemed to also have taken what I'd said to heart. We wouldn't be forgetting any time soon, the insults...

Despite that, we were making strides. Recovery was coming in slow, but steady steps. What wasn't coming, at least for me, was what I'd been losing by attending the nightly campfires. At the Marra campfires we would share stories of scaring others and drink in the terror we had sewn equally. I hadn't been sure about becoming one of them before, but as I had continued, I came to enjoy those campfires. Maybe not the people there exactly, since they were all a bunch of moody teenagers, but the stories and fire were great. My favorite part had been actually taking in the scares they had sewn.

I'd really been enjoying myself, but I found myself not really looking forwards to much else throughout the day. Seeing Hilda and David again just hadn't given me the same comfortable feeling I was used to. Even after kicking them out I didn't think twice about letting them go. I had new friends, and their campfires were better. No point in going out and being in constant danger on Hilda's wild adventures, when I could enjoy myself hearing the stories of my new friends. They were cooler, smarter, and knew exactly how to mess with people. Everyone was afraid of us. We didn't have crazy, wild adventures. Instead we just had a good time, all the time. Sure they were scaring people, but... they still woke up mostly rested. They would live.

Now that I was back to my normal self, I found myself still wanting to do what I had done at the campfires. I wanted to hear tales of terror still, and I wanted to tell them to others with pride. I had realized my new friends were awful, sadistic teenagers. Now I had a whole new problem, though. I missed the campfires. I missed the rush as the terror shot through me. I had felt better, because I wasn't afraid. From my perspective, them... and to an extent me, got to be the ones terrorizing people. That was what sustained me sometimes. I'd skip meals, not feeling a need to eat, but instead wishing the time would pass faster so I could go out at night with my friends.

It hadn't taken me long to realize that whatever had been happening to me at those campfires had started to change who I was. I was becoming meaner. Sometimes I'd ask David if he'd had a nightmare that night, wishing in the back of my mind that he'd describe it to me in detail. I visited the library more often, checking out horror books and getting a little bit of that urge scratched. I wanted to see terror with my own eyes still, but it was a decent enough standin. It was nothing like how the campfires satisfied me, though.

Soon I found myself jumping around corners to scare my parents, and I had to actively been resisting the urge to do so with David. I wouldn't say that I needed to scare people, but... it scratched an itch. It was satisfying, and it made me happy. Was this what being a Marra was? I didn't want to tell Hilda or David, because they would probably try to confront the Marra about what was going on. I just sort of lived with it for a while, getting tiny bits of scaring in when I could. I found that being mean and scaring people just felt right. I knew it wasn't from a moral perspective, but that didn't exactly mean much whenever the craving was there.

There was no rationalizing it. I liked being spooking people. I still felt the sadistic urge to scare others like the other Marra did. I wanted to go back, to attend their campfires. Would they let me? Would I be imposing? As the days went on I couldn't help but wonder if I should ask. Just to be on the safe side. 

Then, the day when the craving was bad enough, I decided to ask. No sooner than that, a knock came at my front door. My parents weren't home. I walked downstairs, unlatching the locks, then opened it to see... none other than Kelly. I smiled sheepishly at her, having broken all contact a week and a half ago. She stared down at me in a very unimpressed way, then sighed loudly.

"How's the cravings? I usually can't last more than a week, but you aren't a proper Marra, so..."

I replied. "So you knew? Why didn't you tell me before?"

She stepped past me into the house, then went into the living room. Falling back onto the couch, she rolled her eyes to me. Her reply was blunt.

"Well, obviously we all figured you'd become a Marra like us. It's hard to stop once you've started. We had no idea your crazy friends would jump in, insult everybody and then steal you back. They ruined the whole campfire, too."

I watched her reach for the remote, casually making herself comfortable in my home again. I walked over and unplugged the television from the wall, glaring at my former friend.

"Kelly, I'm not like you guys. I'm not a rude, emotionally distant bully. I am someone who is dealing with the issues that you started though. How do I stop wanting to frighten people? I started a notebook yesterday on all the ways to scare David to see if I writing it down would help. It didn't."

Kelly narrowed her eyes at me. Clearly unplugging the tele hadn't been the best call, but I wanted her to know I wasn't playing her games. She laid herself out on the couch, and replied to me in her usual bored tone. She couldn't let me know if she actually felt anything but annoyance, after all.

"Well Frifri, there's nothing to do but just learn to live with it. As long as you don't go to the campfires, there's not a lot that can keep you turning into a Marra. But, there's no way to undo the changes either."

I threw my open hands out in front of me, frustrated.

"So you're saying that I'm just stuck with these feelings now? I don't want to scare people, I want my friends to actually like me!"

She fired back. "Oh yeah? Well maybe your blue-haired friend can help you. Or maybe you can tell them to learn to live with it. It's not my problem."

I'd had enough. I pointed to the door.

"Kelly, get out of my house."

She raised her eyebrows, actually seeming shocked for once. She opened her mouth to shoot some snarky response back, but when she saw my face... she reconsidered. She walked out, and turned around to look at me one more time as I stood in the doorway. I just shook my head. She wasn't a real friend. 

I shut and locked the door, then walked over to the phone. For the first time in a while, I needed Hilda's help more anything. One of her magical friends were bound to know something that could help.


	2. Opening Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes learn the gravity of their situation.

Hilda called me late in the afternoon, interrupting cooking with my parents. When I answered, Hilda sounded upset. Something was wrong with Frida, and she needed our help. She told us to meet at the library despite the sun going down. Without another word I hung up, and quietly waited for my dinner to come out of the oven. Once I'd eaten, I put on my jacket, and stepped outside into the brisk night air. Hilda was already coming up towards my house on the sidewalk. She wore a slightly upset expression, but I was still in the dark on what exactly was going on. I knew to be nervous however, as Hilda was almost never angry, unless something had gone terribly wrong. I quietly fell into step with her as she began explaining.

"Those Marra did something to Frida." She said, turning the corner with me to head onto the main street. "She feels off, and her jumping around corners to scare you wasn't a coincidence. She's starting to act like one of them."

I could already feel my anxiety kicking into high gear, shoving my hands in my pockets and clenching them tight.

"So, she's... becoming a Marra?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"I don't know."

Hilda shook her head as we approached the front doors of the library. As we passed the pillar, I felt a hand suddenly grab my shoulder. My reaction was nearly jumping out of my own skin, cowering towards Hilda to put her between me and the unknown threat. There was tension in my chest that bordered on painful. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness behind the pillar, I could tell it was actually just Frida. I let out a breath, then whined to her.

"Why do you keep doing that? One of these days my poor heart's gonna give out."

Frida gave a small laugh, waving a hand. "I think your heart is gonna be okay David."

Hilda opened the door to the library, ushering us both inside. Once we were in the warm, comfortable entryway, I passed a comment back.

"Really Frida, my chest is starting to hurt a little when things jump out at me. I blame that Marra with the twin-tails..."

Hilda chimed in as we walked towards the front desk. "You should probably tell a doctor about that, David."

Our discussion broke short as we saw the librarian sitting at the desk in front of us, tapping her fingers on it as we approached. She was staring at Hilda. I knew the two had some sort of connection, but I didn't know if they were technically friends. Hilda blinked up at her expectantly. 

"Usually now is the time when you give me a book that solves my problems, I think?"

The purple-haired woman replied. "It isn't the book that solves your problems, it is the application of the knowledge inside the book." She said, then set a thin, leather-bound tome on the counter in front of us. "But yes, here. It won't solve your problems, but you probably will."

From what I knew of the librarian, she was cryptic and knew a lot about everything. She always knew exactly what book we needed, and what Hilda would need to solve a mystery. We didn't question her, and she didn't question what we needed any of it for. Overall she was a nice lady. On that note, Hilda took the book and went over to a reading private reading table. Once we were all seated, she opened it up, and began to flip pages.

"I already knew what a Marra is... don't need to know anything about that... origins, no..." She mumbled, and then stopped on a page roughly halfway through the book. "Aha! Becoming a Marra... is a process by which oftentimes adolescent humans are welcomed into a group of established Marra. They gather around a fire, and they imbibe the essence of terror to begin the metamorphosis." Hilda looked over at Frida. "So, that was what you were doing?"

My chest felt like it was starting to hurt again as Frida responded.

"Yeah, it wasn't good at first, but it grew on me after the first three times."

Hilda arched a brow, and then continued to read. "The number of times the essence is taken, to be beyond the point of no return depends on the person. The metamorphosis begins with things one previously found satisfying losing value, and the urge to frighten others in a playful manner surfacing. This will be satisfying to the person in a way that will replace things they previously enjoyed."

Frida's expression confirmed that the book was accurate, with obvious anxiety showing on her face. Hilda continued to read to us... her voice growing harrowed.

"... once this point has been reached, it cannot be undone. Despite best efforts to turn back or resist the new instincts, they will return to them habitually, even acting on them subconsciously. Slowly, they will turn into a Marra..." She paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Succumbing to these instincts is inevitable, as the ability to enjoy anything but tormenting others, and feeding on nightmares, fades away."

A long silence filled the air, and Hilda flipped the page. Her eyes lit up at the next paragraph, and she read quickly.

"The only way to return to being a normal person, prior to completing the metamorphosis, is to..." She slowed down, scowling. "... is to convince a Marra to confront the Marra to-be in their dreams, and see if they have the willpower to resist their new instincts... and if they fail, then they will become a Marra." Hilda stopped, her voice catching... then reading in a morbid, saddened tone. "They will get lost feasting on the nightmares of their former self, losing control to their gluttony for anguish by tormenting any remaining part of themselves that hasn't submitted to their new, uncontrollable instincts. Many hours will pass of their physical body resting fitfully, while they dine on what is left of their humanity. When they wake, they will be a powerful newborn Marra."

Silence hung over us all, and I felt my stomach acid threatening to leap up into my throat. What she'd just described was nothing but a true nightmare. It was scarier than anything I could have imagined waking up today. To lose control like that, like a beast... terrifying. Frida let out a nervous laugh, looking between us.

"Well, I'll just go find Kelly or something, and we can get this sorted out, then." She said, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

Despite her efforts, I didn't feel much better. Seeing that her words had done nothing to help the tone, Frida asked.

"What's so bad about being a Marra anyways? What do they even do, really? Give people bad dreams? It's not... you know, hurting people. They still get sleep right?"

Hilda stared across the table at Frida with an expression so serious I felt like she might reach across the table to grab her. Hilda turned the pages of the book until she got to the page she wanted, and she read aloud, accentuating her words by raising her voice.

"A Marra is a supernatural creature, formerly human, that revels in cruelty, mean-spirited pranks, bullying, inflicting panic and terror on innocent people, and tormenting others for their own sadistic satisfaction. Their need to satisfy these instincts overrides all other needs until those compulsions have been acted upon. Joy, love, friendship, camaraderie, self-fulfillment, hunger, thirst, sadness, regret, and even their own sense of morality all take a backseat to their borderline bestial urge to impart dread. Even if they feel guilty for their actions, it is fleeting compared to their satisfaction. The only way for them to feel a broad range of emotions, is to remain well-fed on the anguish of others. Otherwise, they are incapable of feeling anything but their hunger."

I was slowly losing by ability to remain calm, and I blurted out.

"I don't want you to be a Marra, Frida! I want you to keep being yourself! I want my friend! This is a huge deal and you're acting like it's just... just, nothing!"

Frida looked away from both of us. Hilda shut the book, and she then went back to the front desk to return it. She probably just needed a moment before she said something rude. That left Frida and I alone. Silence hung in the air between us. Eventually I couldn't help it, and I pleaded with her.

"Frida... no matter what, we're best friends. I don't know what I'll do if you become a Marra, but... please, just try to fight it. I'm scared for you. Hilda is scared for you. You should've come to us sooner, when these problems started. Those Marra were always bad news."

Frida kept staring at the table, but she did reply. "I didn't think I could come to you guys. I didn't want you guys to go after the Marra, and I didn't want Hilda to pull us all into another huge adventure so soon after we all made up from the whole room cleaning incident. I thought that might make break us apart for good. But then it got worse, and then Kelly showed up, and I realized what was going on. I still didn't want to, and I hesitated. Now... I don't know what to do. I have to go find one of the Marra to pull me into my own nightmare, and... I promise, I swear, I'll do my best to make it out, okay?"

I held out my hand, and she took it. We shook on it. She was going to be okay, and make it through this. I had no idea how hard it might be for her, but I'd be there every step of the way. Hilda returned with another small book tucked under her arm, glancing between us. Sensing a change in tone, Frida asked us, in a slightly worried manner.

"We'll still be friends if I can't do it though, right? If I mess up?"

Me and Hilda exchanged looks. For a second, the quiet was deafening. Then we said in unison.

"Yes." Hilda said.

"No." I replied, honestly.


	3. Rehearsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes plan for the worst

Both me and Frida stopped, turning to David. I was silent, unable to formulate words to ask him why he'd ever feel that way. Frida was our best friend, there was no reason for him to abandon her over this. We'd just gotten back together after not talking for ages. Why was he rejecting her all over again? Thankfully, I didn't have to be the one to question him. He could read the room well enough on his own. He seemed slightly anxious when he spoke.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I know what a Marra's like, and they're not really something I want to be friends with. They're mean, and especially to me. I don't know why. They think I'm easy to get nightmares out of. That's what that twintail Marra thought, right?"

Frida seemed a bit nervous as she spoke to him.

"David, I'd never try to get nightmares out of you."

I couldn't help but look at Frida with an expression of concern. She had confided to me over the phone her daydreams of scaring David out of a pulse, so this was a bit of a turn. Unless of course, she was just trying to make him feel better, and had absolutely no idea if she could actually control herself. The latter seemed more likely, but I really did want to believe in her at this exact moment. Especially since this was a good chance to actually salvage our friendship... even in spite of all of this. David didn't look one bit convinced, instead looking down at his feet.

"Why would I stick around if that's something that could happen to me? Any time I'm asleep... she knows where I sleep, doesn't she..." He uncomfortably folded his arms over his chest, not meeting our eyes.

I decided that I'd do my best to win him over, holding out a hand.

"David, she promises that she'll never do that to you. Right Frida?" I looked over to see her nod, then continued. "We're all friends, just like old times. Let's not break up again over something like this, of all things."

He met my eyes for the first time since the conversation had begun. The voice he had was fearful, but serious.

"If she becomes a Marra, she'll have to get her scares and nightmares from somewhere. It said so in the book that she won't be able to help it. Where do you think she's going to get them from? Her parents?"

I thought on it... then sighed. He was right. Frida knew exactly where he lived, where he slept, what his bedtime was. He didn't have friends like Twig and Alfur, either. They could talk some sense into Frida, or at the very least go get Mum. David was all alone when he went to bed. My mind struggled to figure out what to do. What was there to be done? It was down to Frida to prevent herself from becoming a Marra, but the way that she had talked made it seem like she didn't exactly have the fight in her to stop it. We had to figure out how to get her a steady supply of nightmares. An idea struck me, and I turned to Frida, smiling like a fool.

"Hey Frida, you said that Kelly could go about a week or so before she had to give someone nightmares or scare someone right? Why don't you just give me nightmares? Once a week during the weekend."

David gave me a look like I was growing an extra set of eyeballs on my forehead. What I was volunteering for was, basically, a weekly eight hour mental beating. A starved Marra was not a merciful one by what I knew. The twintails girl had certainly proven that to me. It was just one day of the week though, and it being on the weekend, it gave me plenty of time to recover. Certainly it couldn't be so bad if it was on a schedule. Frida wore her apprehension on her sleeve, so when our eyes met she decided to speak her mind.

"I just don't feel like I could do that to you. Think of how bad it'll be, every single week. Imagine explaining that to your Mum."

I clenched my jaw. My need to make this work compelled me to lie. My mother hated when I kept things from her, especially after the most recent event resulting in being questioned by the town authorities, and the complete destruction of our car. This was bigger, though. At least it was to me. All the crazy stuff involved mostly strangers up until this point, but now this was something that I would just have to lie about to my mother. I took a deep breath, then let it out. 

"She doesn't have to know. It'll just be a weekly sleepover type of thing."

David and Frida both looked like they had doubts about this whole plan. She remained quiet, seeming to somewhat accept my solution, even though I still saw guilt in her eyes. David obviously didn't want things to turn out this way, either. I crossed my arms in frustration, then used my left to point between the both of them as I spoke.

"I'm not going to have us break up because of this. You-" I jabbed my finger at David "-won't be friends with Frida unless you can guarantee that she doesn't haunt your dreams." I then pointed to her. "You don't even know if you can stop becoming a Marra. So this is the solution until... well, until we can think of something better."

Both of them met each other's eyes. The spirit of compromise hung in the air. It filled us all with a very specific, but recognizable feeling. Dissatisfaction, irritation, a dash of anxiousness and some regret sprinkled in on top, with a small cup of guilt to wash it down. This was caused, in a way, by the faults of all three of us. All of our stubbornness, all our pride clashing had caused the problems we were faced with. My own anxiety was making me want to yell into a pillow. If I didn't make this work, somehow, I doubted that I could actually wrangle us all back together again. We had barely made up, even after I'd fixed everything with Frida's dirty room.

"Fine." David finally said.

"Okay." Frida sighed.

I let out a thankful breath of relief. At that point my chest hurt, and I couldn't help but feel like I was going to turn into David. Without a second thought, I turned to walk towards the library doors. It was getting pretty late, and soon my Mum would be wondering where we were. We all had the same thought just then, and we all began to walk home. I checked out my library book on the way out, and hugged it to my chest to hide the title from Frida. It was 'Lucid Dreaming for Layabouts', and it'd probably be key to helping me cope with Frida's weekend dream diet.

As we walked, one unresolved issue rattled around in my mind. Both me and Frida locked eyes, and I knew immediately that she was thinking about the same thing. I pointed to her as a signal to go ahead. She spoke quietly, not wanting to be overhead outside the library.

"I'll try to invite that twintail girl to do it tomorrow night, okay? No use putting it off. I think she really respects you Hilda, so I guess she might take it easy on me."

David added. "What about Kelly? She used to be your friend right?"

Frida gave a nervous laugh at his question. "Well, I sort of... haven't talked to her since the whole thing, so... she might be a bit upset still."

That actually made perfect sense. None of the other Marra had any real reason to go easy on Frida, so if there was any good shot at her making it through, it would be that twintail Marra I'd impressed. We approached David's house, and he said goodnight before slipping away. It was just me and Frida now. Our pace took us to my house in silence. I knew she was going to head off to go to look for that Marra tonight, since they were up into the morning hours. Before I turned away to go inside though, I squared my stance in front of her, and I mustered every bit of will I could. I projected it into my voice, hearing it still wavering under the weight of my emotions. I was just trying to act tough for her.

"Frida... I don't know what will happen tomorrow night, but you and me will still be friends no matter what. Just try, please. For me."

I turned to go inside, shutting the door behind me before she could see that I was getting emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are appreciated.


	4. Showstopper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frida learns who she really is.

The next evening, we were all sitting quietly in my living room, with the addition of one guest. Hilda and David were sat on the couch, and I was on the recliner. I'd fallen asleep there many times in my past, and I found it preferable to sleeping in my bed when I was stressed like this. Our guest sat with her arms leaning on the back of a folding chair, sitting on it backwards. Her long blonde twin-tails hit the seat she was sitting on, and I could tell by the way she was staring at me that she was thinking about what was to come. I was already exhausted from the day I'd spent worrying about what was about to happen, but now I was staring my source of stress in the face.

Wrapped around my left ankle was a belt, tightly cinching me to the metal arm of the footrest. I wouldn't be able to move freely once I got up, no matter how this ended. Then again, I might not want to get up right away, even if I made it out the other end as a regular human. Something told me that I'd be needing a long rest once this was all done. After an age of waiting, I heard a small alarm go off upstairs in my bedroom. It was time for bed. The Marra got up, her green eyes flashing as she flicked her gaze over at David. I saw him hold his palm over his chest, and I couldn't help but realize he was scared. It filled me with a moment of energy. Her reaction was a slightly mocking laugh.

"Trust me, I'm not up to munch on your silly fears tonight. I ate my fill yesterday. I've never gotten to do this, and I don't want to mess it up."

Hilda and I exchanged a look. That implied that the others had to do this too, so there were probably Marra out there that had done this twice, or even three times. Many others just like me, scared senseless, trying to return to normal. The moment was just a tiny spark of realization, gone as soon as it was there, and I diverted my attention back to the Marra. Her gaze flicked between me and Hilda, before she went on.

"Alright Frida, here's the deal. You have to confront your new Marra instincts. If you can overcome them, great. Good for you." She shrugged. "If you can't... you become a Marra just like me and Kelly. There's no coming back. It's curtains for your old human self. So you've only got one shot. If you fail, then I hope you've got some sort of plan."

I was beginning to understand how David felt. My anxiety was spiking, but I was still exhausted from staying up so late last night tracking her down, and only getting a couple hours of sleep on top of that. When she mentioned having a plan, I took a deep breath, and let it out. That was actually one thing I could boast about.

"Actually, I do have a plan. Hilda volunteered to let me give her nightmares."

The Marra turned, leaning back. Instead of falling over, she began to float in midair over my coffee table. Her eyes were full of curiosity as she stared at Hilda. The question was already obvious to everyone there, so Hilda just went ahead and answered it without being asked.

"I have the most experience holding out against a Marra. I think I did a pretty good job with you. Plus if we do it on the weekends, I'll have lots of time to get my head on straight again."

The most genuine laugh that I'd ever heard from a Marra filled the room, holding her gut as if she'd just been punched. She rolled over in midair, and for almost half a minute she giggled uncontrollably to herself. Once she could talk again, she wiped her eyes with one of her overly-long sleeves and began to talk again.

"Wow, kid... Hilda, I think? You've got more guts than anyone else I know. Serving yourself to a Marra on a silver platter, weekly, is something a little more than crazy. Especially one who knows exactly what gets to you. You've got something wrong with your brain. I don't think you'll last, but you've caught some crazy respect from me if you ever want to hang out."

She then floated back over to me, and she held out her hand. My mind was a bit slow to register exactly what she wanted. It clicked after a second, and I pressed my palm to hers. She took it in a tight grip, and we shook on it.

"It was nice knowing you. Go to sleep so we can get this over with." She said with the bluntness of a sledge.

Without giving myself any more time to think about it, I shut my eyes. There was no turning back, but there had been no turning back for days now. All I had been doing was living on a time limit. With every jump of the second hand on the clock, I was one step closer to being a Marra. There was no use fighting it or procrastinating. Like a big report, it was better to just get it out of the way than live with the constant reminder. I took a deep breath, then let it out. There was only one more thing I wanted to say.

"See you in the morning, guys."

"You too, Frida." I heard David say.

"I'll be right here when you wake up." Hilda whispered.

Without any more distractions, I let my mind begin to play, thinking of better days. It didn't take me long to fade into my dreams.

* * *

A bump in the road startled me awake, my eyes opening to see the interior of a bus. I had my seat reclined fully back, staring at the overhead luggage. I sat up, looking at my surroundings. Across the aisle was the Twintail Marra. Confusion clouded my thoughts; why would she be here in my dream, and not pulling strings to tempt me? It was her job to try and get me to succumb to my Marra instincts. She loudly blew a bubble with her chewing gum. As if to answer my private thoughts directly, she began to talk.

"So you can't actually resist, can you?" Her tone was blunt, but actually more genuine than I was used to hearing. "I saw the way you looked at that David kid. I read that notebook on your desk last night after you went to bed. Don't begin to feed me some lie about how you're a good girl, Frida. Kelly told me everything."

Shame glued me into my seat. My pride was shouting for me to stand up, point into her face and declare everything she said false. That'd be lying, though. I had no good reason to provoke her into making this harder for me, either. She was the keys to success, or failure. But... did that matter? Was she right, that I couldn't actually resist? Her eyes were knowing, scrutinizing every tiny movement I made. The darting of my eyes, the way I froze at her words. I felt like she was looking right through me.

"So I'm right. I figured there was a reason Kelly decided it had to be you." She brushed her hair back. "You never even stood a chance, Frida. Not a single one. At the end of the day you're going to love every second of being a Marra. You'll even have Hilda offering herself as a fresh dinner to you, to save you the effort."

I finally dredged up the courage to shake my head and say. "That's not true, I can still change this."

She arched a brow at my completely unconvincing words, then gave me a jeering smirk. The bus began to slow, rolling to a full stop just outside a platform in what looked like the middle of a dark road, in a never-ending pine forest. A tall creature stepped onto the bus, looking like a human doubled over in a hunch. It had no face, instead just breathing through two slits in the very center of its head. Even its ears were just gaping holes. It wore no clothes but a ragged bag with the bottom cut out of it, turning it into a makeshift skirt. It dragged behind it a burlap sack, which it left in the aisle, and then disembarked. The twintail Marra turned to it as the bus doors shut, and we began to move again.

Floating over, she seized the knot tying the mouth of the bag shut in her fingers, and pulled it loose. With a snap of her fingers, the bag tore open to reveal David. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him blindfolded, and his hands were tightly tied behind his back. She jammed her foot into him, and he curled his knees towards his ribs. She commanded him with sadistic cheer in her voice.

"Come on, get up kid." 

The instant he had stumbled to his feet without the assistance of his arms or hands, she shoved him backwards into one of the bus seats. It buckled him in tightly, leaving no ability to escape now. Without hands or arms, being buckled in was the same as being strapped down. Was this the type of nightmares she gave him? I almost asked, but before I could, she reached into her sleeve. Without revealing her intentions, she floated towards me. I took a small step backwards. My fight or flight kicked on for a moment, but I realized that there was nowhere to run. We were on a moving vehicle. I couldn't even see a driver anywhere, so there probably wasn't even a way to stop once we got up to speed.

She pulled a small snake from her sleeve. Not any one that I'd ever seen before, though. It was relaxed as she balanced it between her two hands, its rust-colored scales glittering in the light. She held her arms out, as if requesting that I took it. My apprehension faded the moment I locked eyes with the creature. It was completely calm for us. I took it in my hands, even letting the Marra drape it across my shoulders. It had a wide jaw, with bright coloring on the crown of its back. It was cool and smooth, its scales rippling with its movement. I felt a connection between myself and the beast.

The Marra motioned for me to walk with her, stepping back towards David. I followed without any more questions. In the meantime, I occupied myself with running my fingers over the creature's scales. It was almost hypnotically beautiful under the bright bus lights. By the time I was right beside David, she was already starting to torment him.

"Hey kid, it's me again. Thanks for letting it slip that you don't like snakes, the last time we met... Frida has one right here. It's super venomous, too. Want to let David spend some quality time with it, Frida?"

I saw David begin to squirm, shaking his head. His voice was heightened to a dizzy panic, head turning to try and find me through his blindfold.

"No, Frida don't, please! I-I'll do anything, please Frida! I'll never cheat off your homework again!"

My heart began to beat faster in my chest. He writhed against the seatbelt holding him down and the tight rope around his wrist, trying to slip free. His voice hitting that high, cracking falsetto in his desperation to plead with me scratched an itch that I'd been ignoring around David for days. 

"Frida! No! I'm going to cry... please, please please please-" He kept pleading quietly.

The Marra leaned over to whisper to me. "It's not actually venomous... I just want to see him freak out. I know you do, too. This is something I pulled right out of your notebook."

I saw her grin, and I couldn't help but smile back. She had been right, I just couldn't resist. This was something I'd been dreaming of for nearly a week. I held the snake up against his sleeve, and watched it slip inside against his bare skin, gliding beneath his shirt, across his shoulder. He let out a choked cry, petrified by the presence of the serpent. The muffled whimpering he gave off was enough to get me to grin just as much as my partner in crime. She didn't have any interest to give him, though. All her focus was on me. His pleading whimpers were awakening something deeper than the urge to just jump out and scare people. It was something a lot more compelling than that. More powerful than how hungry I was, or how much I needed water.

When I spoke, my voice barely even felt like it was mine. It was completely collected, and it felt like I knew exactly what to say without thinking.

"Come on David, relax or you'll scare the snake." I mocked, chuckling. "And you cheated off my homework? Well, I think I'll let the snake wander out on its own now. I don't do my homework for your sake."

His voice was nearly silent, he was whispering so quietly. "Frida please... what if it bites me? I'll, I'll-"

"Then don't get bit, relax." I cut him off, rolling my eyes.

This was just typical David. He could stop being scared if he wanted to, it was just a snake. It wasn't even hungry or afraid. There was no reason for it to bite him. He was just being stupid. The terror in his voice was nothing short of comical... but very satisfying. His many irrational fears had been sort of humorous to me and Hilda before, but it had always proven futile to try and help him with them. Calming him down after he nearly had an anxiety attack was all we could do. This was a much better use for his silly fears.

The tiredness that I'd felt weighing down my whole body was wearing off. My weariness was slowly fading away, and I realized that I had to be honest with who I was. The twin-tail wearing Marra didn't have to convince me much, because it was the truth. I just had to swallow my pride to actually realize it. Giving in to these instincts didn't just feel good, or satisfy some little itch that I needed to scratch every once in a while. I needed this. Promising Hilda that I'd try to fight this had just been to keep her happy with me. I knew deep inside that it wasn't something I could actually do. The same with not tormenting David, too. Just little lies to save face. It hadn't been honest at all, but at the same time... it let them feel like I was trying as hard as I could in here. It made them feel like I was trying, like they were.

Slight guilt tugged at me. I wasn't fighting this at all. Without thinking, I reached down, and gently guided the snake out from underneath David's shirt. The twintail Marra gave me a questioning look, watching David sigh with relief. She cleared her throat.

"What exactly are you doing?"

I sighed, looking directly at her. "It's over, right? I get it, I'm a Marra. I've got to scare people. I've got my fill, though. We can stop."

Her smile returned, and she leaned back, laughing to herself as she fell into a a lounging position in midair.

"What if I told you that you've only gotten a tiny taste? This is just a stupid prank... the night is still so young, Frida. This nightmare's only just begun."

The idea that there could possibly be more, some higher threshold of this, was enough to force my attention back to her. The thought of it sparked a craving inside me. It was becoming a physical need, much like a thirst. The idea that I could just have more on demand was tantalizing to say the least.

"Okay, what is it?"

The bus ground to a sudden stop, and I glanced outside for the first time in a while. We were right outside my house. Before I knew it, we had both stepped off, leaving David inside as the bus then rushed off down the street. She floated up to my door and pushed it open, then turned into her wispy spirit form, racing up the stairs and into my room. I hurried up after her, stepping into the bedroom to see... myself. Sitting quietly on the bed in a clean room, sleeping peacefully. My eyes fixated on my other self's pajamas, then glanced to the other Marra.

"What's this? What am I supposed to do?"

Her eyes flashed green, and the room spontaneously trashed itself. The drawers exploded out of the dresser and flung my clothes everywhere. The shelves cleared themselves, my closet deposited its contents in a huge splash of debris all over the carpet, desk expunging every bit of its contents onto the floor, even out into the hallway, and it all came out in a deafening bang. Fear leapt into my own mind, but quickly evaporated into pure exhilaration. It felt like a shot of pure satisfaction, with fresh dopamine coursing into me. I saw my other self get up and begin to panic, looking through her things, trying to shove them back into place, not even noticing us. The twin-tailed Marra leaned onto my shoulder, whispering.

"Did you feel that... how that panic shot through you? The horror at seeing that done to your room? That stupid little girl in front of you doesn't actually exist anymore, she's just a thing of the past. You're a Marra now. Clean her up... everything she's got. Feed on her for as much as she'll give. Then forget about her."

At first I wondered how I could, but no sooner did I wonder, I figured that this was my dream. I could do whatever I wanted with it. My attention went to the girl in front of me, clutching two figurines in front of her, unable to decide where they went or what to do, her hands shaking. Watching her struggle was satisfying, but it just wasn't enough. By what I knew of her, she had tons more fear to give.

The phone rang, and I watched my other self jump at the sudden noise. She scrambled to go pick it up. It was Hilda, who began explaining to her over the phone that she was moving back out to the wilderness. That her Marra problem wasn't one that she could solve, and her Mum didn't want her daughter staying somewhere she knew that a Marra could get her. A heavier wash of smooth horror, then despair washed over me. All of it dissolved into a deep satisfaction once the initial shock wore off. I saw my other self holding back tears, saying goodbye, then hanging up the phone. Watching her do that was better than a tall glass of ice water in a desert. The emotional return I got was numbing, my heart beating heavily in my chest. I knew I could do more, though!

Suddenly my old self was outside the school, being handed an expulsion order and discharge from the Sparrow Scouts. Nobody wanted their child being around a Marra, and as realization dawned on the human version of myself, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. This didn't matter, really. It was a nightmare, and more than that, it made me feel absolutely fantastic. Next, I made her relive her fears of sleep paralysis. Then more, never letting the tide stem.

I turned around, shut my eyes and flicked my wrist like a conductor swishing their baton. I saw my younger self nearly drowning in a pool trying to learn how to swim, and then turned, shifting my weight as the world flowed into a new nightmare for myself. One by one, I felt all my old worldly fears dissolving into bliss. I was giggling to myself, mirth bubbling up inside of me as I continued to torment my own past. I was completely engulfed in a cloud of euphoria, unable to stop anymore. No matter how deep I carved into her, my own human self, it just wasn't enough. I always wanted more, there was no bottom to the hunger I felt. If she was still a real person, being forced to live through these things, she'd never be okay again. She wasn't real anymore, though. Frida the human was gone, and in her place was me. I had every right to burn her up to fuel my own fire. I knew I had to act fast while the human memories were fresh in my newly reborn mind. While I still understood fear from a human perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and feedback are appreciated.


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